Chapter 6 Chapter 18 Icefall

The sharp metal claws of the crampons stepped on the solid ice, making a crisp and pleasant sound. In the icefall. It cannot be seen from here, but the bright red sunlight like viscous paint should already cling to the summit of Mount Everest.The sunlight is like a large amount of paint applied to the canvas, flowing down from the surface of the canvas due to its own weight, slowly climbing down from the rocky peak of Mount Everest.It will probably take some time before it comes down from the West Valley before reaching the ice wall of this ice waterfall. Fukamachi walked among the icicles, breathing in the cold air.

Ice all around. Directly ahead, a large block of ice about the size of a three-story building slanted, peeling off a larger block above it.No, it's not fully peeled off yet.Because the lower layer is still connected.The upper layer is cracked into a V shape, which is still continuing to crack. After all, the glacier is moving, and the icefall formed by the glacier's avalanche of 700 meters in one breath is the most violent part of it.Here, it's no surprise when a block of ice moves or breaks off. A layer of freshly fallen snow has accumulated on the top and bottom of the ice cubes of the icefall, which has become ice.The ice of the glacier itself is visible in the vertical part of the ice.Because even the snow is hard to freeze there.

The glaciers further downstream are covered with sand and have a gray surface, but here the ice is pure white. Although pure white, the cracks are dark blue ice.Transparent blue-black, it opened its mouth deep in the crevasses of the ice. The blue-black fissures may reach the deepest part of the glacier.The time of the mountains that have been stacked up to this day seems to be sleeping there. About 10,000 to 600,000 years. This Himalayas, which used to stay under the sea, stands in the time behind the heavens—— Fukamachi took pictures of Hanyu setting off at the base camp. Later, Fukamachi moved forward a bit later than Hanyu.

Start with crampons on rocks, small stones, snow, and ice. And walk on ice that is flat and smooth like a puddle of frozen water. Then, into the icefall. In May, entering the icefall where the fixed rope is pulled up, the aluminum ladder is placed on the ice crevasse, and the opening work is completed is the first step of climbing. However, this time is different. From the very beginning, suddenly into the icefall that has not yet completed the work of opening the road. Even if there is work to be done, for the pioneers, there is still a brand new virgin land that has not yet done any work.

For Fukamachi, the icefall this time is equivalent to completing half of the road-opening work. Because Hanyu was leading the way. Fukamachi followed in Hanyu's footsteps. It is three times faster to try the same thing than to find the route with your own eyes. Hanyu circled to the right under the sloping block of ice ahead of Fukamachi. Fukamachi's equipment is the same as Hanyu's. Put your feet in hiking boots, overshoes, and front-kick crampons. A hiking backpack. My hiking backpack should be slightly heavier than Hanyu's. Because Hanyu insists that the equipment is light, and I have one more camera than him, so it is heavier in comparison.If Hanyu carried fifteen kilograms, he probably carried around twenty kilograms.

Before reaching 6,000 meters, as long as Hanyu doesn't over-accelerate, even with this equipment on his back, he should still be able to keep up with Hanyu's footsteps. Hanyu doesn't rest. He moved forward like an ant inside the icefall at a certain pace. Many accidents have happened at this icefall. Basically, no place in Icefall is safe.It's no surprise when and where it collapses.If you happen to be in a collapsed place, you will encounter an accident, otherwise, you will be safe.It doesn't make a difference whether you are a veteran or a rookie.Even if the person in front passes safely, the person walking behind may encounter the ice avalanche in only ten seconds.

There is only one thing climbers can do, and that is to minimize the time they spend inside the icefall. After going around a block of ice the size of a house, the left and right ice walls narrowed there, forming a dead end. Hanyu's footsteps headed towards the ice wall on the left, directly climbing that ice wall. He must have already climbed up, but there is no sign of Hanyu from above. Fukamachi drove the ice stick into the ice wall and climbed up the ice wall. Hold the ice stick in the right hand and the ice ax in the left.Take turns hitting them into the ice wall, pushing the front claws of the crampons into the ice wall, pushing your body up little by little.

Continuous movement is really difficult. Every time I lift one foot and take a step, I have to take several breaths repeatedly. Because the oxygen intake in one breath is not enough to do this action continuously. Breathing quickened. The throat kept making sounds. Fukamachi listened to his rapid breathing and felt the pulse beating around his temples, and climbed up. still alright. And physical strength. I can still work hard. With this thought in mind, he gritted his teeth and climbed up. There were neither ropes nor ladders. The road signs are only the footprints left by Hanyu.

If there is fog and snow in this icefall... If he couldn't see Hanyu's footprints clearly, he might get lost.In the icefall, alone and lost. It's not just getting lost.That would lead directly to death. Fukamachi was terrified by this, suppressed the urge to almost speed up, and climbed the ice wall. The ice is right in front of you. Even if it is the same ice wall, not all ice is the same, depending on the ice layer, some are so hard that crampons can't get in, and they bounce back. After climbing the ice wall, come to the top of the ice wall. However, there was a steep slope ahead, and there were ice cubes everywhere that looked like they were poured from a huge bucket.

Hanyu's footprint stretches all over it. He was nowhere to be seen. The distance between him and Hanyu seemed to be gradually widening. However, don't hurry up because of anxiety.Because that would be suicidal. Started to cough. The air was dry and cold. Breathing cold air continuously, the throat will be finished. Looking at his watch, he saw that an hour and a half had passed since he entered the icefall. Eight forty-five. According to Hanyu's scheduled itinerary, it takes two and a half hours to cross this ice waterfall.If the schedule is as planned, he should reach the top of the icefall in another hour.

Fukamachi didn't know how long he was behind Hanyu.He was nowhere to be seen, only Hanyu's footprints were left on the ground. one minute? three minutes? five minutes? Or more than ten minutes behind? What if an accident happened to me in this place? What if the ice wall collapsed? No matter how careful you are, it is impossible to predict when the ice wall will break in the icefall.More often than not: the seemingly dangerous ice wall, from the beginning to the end of the climb, nothing happened; and the thick ice block, which seemed safe, split in two two days later and collapsed on the route. All in all, going to Icefall is a gamble.The bet is your own life. Halfway up the ice wall, Fukamachi suddenly felt uneasy. If there is a deep crack on the inside of the ice wall that the ice ax hits now, when it reaches the top, maybe this ice tower will peel off. Then, he would fall about 30 meters and be crushed under the ice tower, his internal organs squeezed out of his mouth and die.Even if you are not crushed under the ice tower, you will die if you fall thirty meters.Even if he is alive, it is impossible to fall to such a height without injury, even if he is alive, he will not be able to move, and soon after, he will die at the place where he fell. Hanyu will not come to save himself. It was already agreed upon. Having said that, if in reality, someone was dying in front of his eyes, he might come to rescue him.However, Hanyu's figure had disappeared somewhere between the huge ice masses of this icefall, out of sight.He couldn't see himself either. Even if an accident happened, Hanyu would have no way of knowing. Even though he couldn't see himself, it was impossible for Hanyu to come down specifically to see his own situation.As far as Hanyu was concerned, if he didn't see the photographer named Fukamachi who logically would follow up from behind, he would only think that Fukamachi might have turned back halfway. Thirty meters. Fifty meters more and you can climb over the ice wall. If you are determined, it is not particularly difficult technically. For example, walking on a plank thirty centimeters wide - this requires no special technique.However, what if this 30-centimeter-wide board is placed between buildings that are 100 meters above the ground?Actions that are certainly possible on flat ground become impossible. Fukamachi was under the same mental stress as that. The skill of climbing the ice wall is average. Fukamachi himself has fully learned that technique.However, this is the first time he has clung to an ice wall completely free-handed without any other safety measures.If you want to use ice wedge nails in this kind of place, you must ensure safety one by one. It is really impossible to maintain the speed Hanyu said. The ice wall with an inclination of sixty to seventy degrees - in terms of feeling, it can be said to be almost vertical. If you fall, you will die, but it is not special in terms of technology. As long as you don't forget to hit the front claws of the crampons into the ice wall, you can raise the height in a balanced manner. The problem is, the lack of oxygen leads to a decrease in physical strength and concentration.However, it is obvious that he will try to climb over 8,000 meters next, so he really shouldn't be discouraged at a place that is less than 6,000 meters. However, once the fear is on the body, it will not leave for a while. look down. See the scenery below between your legs.Ice cubes under the icefall.If you fall, you will hit, depending on how you fell, either the back is broken in two, or the thighbone penetrates the pelvis, pierces the internal organs, and then passes out through the shoulder. That image came to mind. Through the viewfinder, two dots can be seen slipping and sliding on the snow, floating in mid-air, and then falling. Koichi Ioka—— Takashi Funashima—— The two of them fell to their deaths from a place 2,500 meters higher than here. And it happened this year. In May of this year, they were still alive, and they climbed the ice waterfall with them and entered the foothills of Mount Everest. Today, only a few crampons, ice sticks and ice axes that penetrate the ice wall one centimeter deep or less than one centimeter deep can support my weight. I always feel that I will slip from the soles of my feet at any time and fall heavily on the solid ice below. The knees of both feet trembled slightly. This is how the same thing? There was such a reaction in such a place. What I'm doing can't even be called a solo act.Even so, the moment he realized that he was alone, he was so easily frightened that his legs were weak? The solo action that Hanyu wants to do is completely different from the situation I am facing now. How much loneliness and fear does Hanyu have in his heart? The feeling that Hanyu Joji will experience in a higher place than here next will not be at this level. don't shake-- Fukamachi heard that voice when he wanted to say it to his knees. Boom... It was like a muffled sound. Immediately afterwards, there was a sound like the rumble of jets heard in the distance. Boom...the sound. Fukamachi knew exactly what that sound was. Heard the sound several times. It's an avalanche. Somewhere there was an avalanche. and-- The sound gradually became louder. The avalanche is heading towards where he is currently, coming with overwhelming momentum. Will it stop...? Fukamachi thought for a moment. won't stop. The voice came closer. It's Mount Nubu. The avalanche happened on Nubu Peak, or somewhere along the ledge that connects to Nubu Peak. And it was a big avalanche. Fresh snow made the ice heavier, unable to cling to the ledge, and caving toward the west valley or this icefall. When it reached the glacier, it made a particularly dull ground cry. won't stop. It moves over further. Getting closer. Fukamachi's anus tightened hard, and the muscles in her back contracted. Unable to take any evacuation posture. The sound got louder. Fukamachi gritted her teeth and stared at the sky. Looking up from the gap in the deep ice, the sky is blue. Blackish blue. Above the ice wall that he is currently clinging to, there are white horizontal lines extending to the left and right.Opposite is the deep blue sky. The sun was already shining on the top of the ice wall, emitting a white, blinding light. While catching that picture in the overhead field of vision, a white object suddenly covered the blue sky.Something like white powder covered the blue sky. A strong wind hit Fukamachi. In the next second, the white object splashed on him. What a beautiful, dreamlike scene. Shiny ice crystals. Snow flakes. Ice chips rattled against the surface of the windbreaker.After a few seconds, Fukamachi's body hung on the ice wall, enveloped in soft white light. I must have forgotten to breathe for several seconds. After everything calmed down, Fukamachi was still clinging to the ice wall, breathing heavily repeatedly. Just stop breathing once or twice, and immediately become painful and panting.If you do not breathe repeatedly and quickly, the amount of oxygen in the blood will decrease in an instant. Panting and looking up at the sky, it gradually returned to the blue sky. Fukamachi understood what had happened. Eighty percent of it is the ice that fell from the ledge of Nubu Peak and reached the glacier in the West Valley. Either it stopped somewhere on the glacier, or it bumped into it and changed direction.Presumably it was the unevenness of the icefall that held back the avalanche itself. However, even if the avalanche itself is stopped, the compressed air, the storm, it whips up cannot be stopped.The storm came here directly over the glacier. Snow smoke—tiny fragments of ice and snowflakes—mingled with the storm would rush over the icefall, pouring particles of snow smoke into the crevice. When he knew he was saved, Fukamachi thought of Hanyu next. What happened to Hanyu Joji? If Hanyu's speed is fast enough, he has probably crossed the icefall and arrived at the place where he climbed up the West Valley, or if he just happened to be standing on top of the icefall, he was directly hit by the storm just now. If it was in a barely balanced state—— Fukamachi gritted her teeth and raised the ice stick in her right hand to hit the ice wall. start climbing. The trembling of the feet stopped. It was almost half past ten when we crossed the icefall and arrived at the entrance of the West Valley. Here is about 6,000 meters above sea level. Three and a half hours had passed since we set off from base camp. Set C1 here in May. This is not the first time here. At the time, it took three hours to get here from base camp.The route is also well planned, using ascenders and ladders, the distance traveled in three hours is much shorter than this time.Thinking about the three and a half hours this time, it took more energy than last time.In the icefall, if you use a ladder to climb the ice crevasse at once, this time you have to make many detours and climb the ice wall without using a ladder, so the moving distance is longer than in May. Even so, only thirty minutes had passed. If there is no trace of Hanyu, it will probably take more time.Physically, I'm pretty good at it. Hanyu's footsteps extend to the snowfields of Nishitani. It seemed that Hanyu had escaped the avalanche safely. Hanyu was nowhere to be seen. Compared with the icefall, although the slope is relatively gentle, there are several huge ice crevasses winding around like ditches, and there are also several peak-like hills. He didn't see Hanyu's figure. How far ahead is Hanyu? According to the scheduled itinerary, he should be about an hour ahead of himself. There was no sign of Hanyu resting near here either.Hanyu probably passed here at the same pace with almost no rest. Where should he stop to hydrate from the thermos strapped to his waist.It is still very warm black tea with a lot of honey added.He probably drank about a third of it. Fukamachi thought: If you can see Hanyu from here, you can take pictures, what a pity. Haven't gotten a few photos of Hanyu yet. Photos of the departure, photos of Hanyu stepping into the icefall—two or three at most. The camera brought is a Nikon F3.A 40mm to 80mm zoom lens and a 500mm reflex lens.Fukamachi decided to shoot only with these two lenses.This is done to save weight.In addition, he also prepared a lightweight and small tripod that can be completely hidden when held with both hands after folding. Both the camera body and the lens are entrusted to the manufacturer and made into cold-area specifications.Because once the temperature is too low, the oil used on the machine will often freeze and make the machine unable to move. The reason for choosing F3 instead of F4 is that structurally, F3 relies less on batteries.Batteries often fail to function properly at low temperatures.Therefore, F3, which can be switched to manual operation, was selected. After taking pictures of Hanyu's footprints on the snow with a camera, Fukamachi drank the black tea from the thermos.There is also a lot of honey added to this. Looking back, as if trying to stop the glacier falling from under my feet, Pumori Mountain stands opposite.The ledge looked larger than it had looked from base camp. The sun shines on the reddish-brown rock faces of Xigu and Pumori Mountain from the front. If you look up, there are huge rock walls on the left and right, surrounding the glaciers of the West Valley from both sides. On the left is the West Ridge of Mount Everest descending from the summit of Mount Everest. On the right is the ridge from Lhotse to Nubu. Inside, you can see the peak and rock edge of Lhotse Peak at an altitude of 8 to 516 meters. From her peak and Nubu Peak, white snow smoke blows into the blue sky. Where Fukamachi was, there was only the breeze blowing through her hair. The vast snowfield—— Underneath the snow field are glaciers. Over 6,000 meters above sea level, soon, it will be a place beyond the human—no, biological realm. Only the summit of Everest is hidden behind the west ridge, but surrounded by the vast snow field are the giant peaks of the Himalayas—rock peaks each far exceeding 8,000 meters, and the bridges connecting the rock peaks. Ridges of rock and snow. In this landscape, Fukamachi is strongly aware of his own existence.A bird's-eye view of oneself in consciousness is like a drop in the ocean. However, although the feeling of that point is "small", it is not "small".Fukamachi felt that although he was small, he was indeed transformed into a point, existing in that landscape. As the height increases, the awareness of flat land seems to become less and less. After staying in Fukamachi for about ten minutes, he took another step on the snow field. Every time you encounter a huge ice crevasse, go right or left to go around.Even when walking, the anxiety that the bottom of my feet might collapse at any time haunts my heart at any time. The ice crevasse is covered with snow, turning into a snow bridge, hiding its cracks.It looked like a snowfield at first glance, but a bottomless crevasse opened its mouth wide beneath it—Fukamachi thought that he had probably passed by that place several times without realizing it. If the ice bridge is thin or fragile, it will collapse under the weight of a person. If two people move, they can use climbing ropes to tie each other's bodies, so that when one party falls into the ice crevasse, their lives can be saved. But when you are alone, if you fall, you will die.Falling into an ice crevasse, it is impossible to get out of trouble with one's own strength. Fukamachi walked with this anxiety. start coughing. Coughing. Breathing speeds up and stepping out becomes slower. Hanyu's footprint goes to the right - stretching towards Nubu Peak. After walking for about an hour and a half on Piannubu Peak, when Fukamachi raised his head, he saw the highest rock wall on earth. The whole picture of the southwest face of Mount Everest appeared in front of my eyes. A breathless sight. The rock ridge appeared like a giant beast arching its back against the sky. The peak inserts its top into the blue sky, from where it blows snow and smoke high into the sky. Fukamachi stood there, shivering.